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The name of this tuneful new album in the Cartoon pop-rockers The Wilderness of Manitoba is Round the Dark, a reference to the long, lonely stretches of roads which connect tour venues throughout the country. The band is the job of lead vocalist and songwriter Will Whitwham, who shared with The Globe and Mail the things which produce his traveling life more bearable.

What’s he is studying: “I just finished Where I’m Calling From, a brief story by Raymond Carver. He is a master of creating the ideal balance between nostalgia and melancholy. His writing style almost takes on the sense of a slow-moving film scene, constantly combining the perfect blend of both hope and loss in a realist aesthetic, while the brief stories themselves are like tunes.”

What he is tuned into: “Democracy Now! If there is any place I can turn to find the real facts and alternative news from independent and worldwide sources, it is Amy Goodman and the War and Peace Report.”

What he has been listening to: “The Brooklyn-based dream-pop ring Uni Ika Ai and their latest album Maintaining a Golden Bullseye at the Corner of My Head, for its great production and sense of air. Specifically, I am struck by their tune Wrinkle Off and its long, drawn-out opinion settling in at a little over eight minutes. Perhaps it’s Maia Friedman’s voice combined with this time of year, but the slow-burn music always get to me.”

The Wilderness of Manitoba plays with Toronto’s The Garrison on Sept. 20 and Hamilton’s Mill’s Hardware on Sept. 21, with 15 Canadian dates to follow. .